Short answers to common questions about Fetch, agents, Highlights, billing, tiers, and reference docs.
Short answers to common questions about Fetch, agents, Highlights, billing, tiers, and reference docs. Each answer is two to five sentences and links to the canonical page when you need detail. Jump to a group:
Credits, usage, browser concurrency, provisioned slots.
Fetch is Expand's core product: it renders a live page and returns agent-ready Markdown, State JSON, evidence, and replayable artifacts. Start with Fetch Overview.
No. They are ways to use Fetch. Use the CLI for terminal workflows, SDKs or the API for app code, MCP for agent tools, and hooks or skills for agent harness integrations. See Ways to Use Expand.
| Need | Path |
|---|---|
| Try one URL from your terminal | Quickstart / CLI |
| Add Fetch to an app | TypeScript SDK, Python SDK, or API Reference |
| Give a coding agent web context | Agent Quickstarts |
Use the CLI for local inspection, scripts, and agent shell workflows. Use an SDK or the API when Fetch is part of your application code. See CLI Commands and the TypeScript and Python SDKs.
/v1/fetch return Markdown directly?/v1/fetch is optimized for the common path: get the main readable document quickly. Use /v1/fetch/json when you need metadata, State JSON, snapshot IDs, or structured response fields. See Output Model.
Use JSON Mode when application code needs Main Markdown plus State JSON, metadata, links, Highlights, or snapshot references in one object response. See Output Model and the TypeScript and Python SDKs.
Main Markdown is the primary readable page content. State JSON is structured page and network state that can answer questions Markdown alone may miss. See How Fetch Works.
State JSON is part of the core output model for JSON Mode, but large or secondary state can be referenced through progressive disclosure instead of being forced into the main response. See Output Model.
Progressive disclosure means Fetch gives the agent the pragmatic default first, while preserving references to deeper context when the task needs it. See How Fetch Works.
snapshotId, or moreTokens missing data?Usually no. They are handles to more context, replay, evidence, or continued output. Fetch avoids flooding the default response while keeping deeper material recoverable. See Output Model and Playground & Replay.
No. Start with defaults. Add Include Options only when the task needs a specific artifact such as HTML, screenshot, links, response metadata, Appendix, or State JSON detail. See Include Options.
No. Batched Fetch is optimized for many URLs and has limitations. It does not support every single-Fetch artifact or Highlights path. See Batched Fetch.
Highlights finds the most relevant snippets inside a Fetch capture so an agent can ask focused questions without loading the whole document again. See Highlights.
fetch_search, /v1/fetch/search, or expandai search?Highlights is the product name. Some technical surfaces keep their existing endpoint, tool, or command names for compatibility. See Highlights and the API Reference.
Snapshot Highlights searches an existing capture by snapshot ID. Inline Highlights can run as part of a Fetch request. See Highlights.
Yes, when those artifacts are present in the searchable corpus. Defaults and include choices determine what is available. See Highlights and Include Options.
Highlights results include enough location information to build evidence links. MCP can add citationUrl fields; raw API and SDK responses may require using citation helper functions. See Playground & Replay and the TypeScript and Python SDKs.
Yes, if the captured content is safe to share publicly. Playground links are designed for evidence inspection and can be embedded into deep research products, but you should not expose private pages, secrets, or customer data. See Playground & Replay.
Hooks can route a host's native web fetch behavior through Expand. The Skill teaches an agent how to use Expand. MCP gives an agent native Fetch tools. See Agent Quickstarts.
First-class hook support exists for Claude Code and OpenCode. Cursor and Codex use Skill plus MCP instead. See Claude Code and OpenCode.
It can be enough when the agent can read the skill and run terminal commands. Add MCP when you want native tool calls or when the agent should not rely only on shell commands. See Expand Skill.
expandai login or EXPAND_API_KEY?For normal local agent setup, use expandai login; the local MCP server and CLI read local auth. Use EXPAND_API_KEY for SDK, API, server, or CI-style contexts. See Agent Quickstarts and the TypeScript and Python SDKs.
/start.md?/start.md is the canonical public setup prompt for agents. Give it to an agent when you want it to choose the right Expand setup path. See start.md.
Most often, the install was run from the wrong directory, the agent needs to restart, or the MCP config was written to a different scope than the agent is using. See Agent Quickstarts and your agent's setup page.
No. Expand helps agents answer more questions with fewer tokens, but billing is credit and usage based, not token based. See Pricing & Usage.
Fetch usage is metered through billable outputs. Highlights and summaries add usage when requested. See Pricing & Usage.
Credits are a dollar balance on your organization. Usage draws down that balance as billable outputs are recorded. See Pricing & Usage.
Usage can be blocked until funds are available again. Auto-Recharge helps avoid hitting a zero-balance block. See Pricing & Usage.
No. Tiers are automatic browser-concurrency unlocks based on successful spend and time since your first transaction. See Tiers.
Most tiers require both successful spend and elapsed time since the first transaction. If spend is high enough but the time requirement has not elapsed, the next tier is not active yet. See Tiers.
Browser concurrency is the number of browser-backed Fetch jobs that can run at the same time before additional work queues. See Tiers and Batched Fetch.
No. Provisioned slots add browser capacity on top of your tier. They do not change your tier status. See Tiers.
Upgrades apply immediately. Downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle. See Tiers.
Authored docs explain concepts and workflows. API Reference owns exact endpoint contracts, schemas, errors, and generated examples. Open the API Reference.
Use API Reference for exact endpoint schemas. Authored docs intentionally link to reference pages instead of duplicating full schemas. Open the API Reference.
Yes. Docs and API Reference pages are available through Markdown-oriented routes, and machine-readable docs provide compact agent entry points. See Docs as Markdown.
/start.md, llms.txt, and llms-full.txt?/start.md is an agent setup prompt. llms.txt is a compact docs index. llms-full.txt is a larger docs bundle for agents that need more context. See start.md, llms.txt, and llms-full.txt.
Yes. The API Reference area stays available through Markdown routes and Accept: text/markdown requests. Open the API Reference.
| Inspect evidence visually |
| Playground & Replay |